FBC Wilmington Church-Wide Genesis Study

This Sunday---we began our church-wide study on Genesis after finishing up our study on Acts. Interestingly enough we began with the second Creation account as the verses that contain the first account were part of the daily devotionals section of our study. You can temporarily be viewed: Here. Anyways, in the back of our study booklet, there are some lyrics that I wrote 3 years ago:

FAITH OF ABRAHAM
(Currin)

You tore the veil, across my heart, opened the door, for You had the key
You made a man out of the boy still within me
And I’ll remember You, all of my days
For I’m thankful, Lord, I’ll forever sing Your praise
And wherever I go, oh, I know that You’ll be next to me
From Babylon to the Sea of Galilee…for all Eternity

You’ve always been here, for You are the Ancient of Days
And though, we can’t always comprehend Your mysterious ways
Nothing gets past You, for You know it all
And I can’t understand how it is You made me fall
For out here, in the dark woods, it can get so lonely, you see
But that’s the way it’s been, in every page of history

But I am glad, You took me by the hand
And gave me the faith of Abraham
Sometimes, in a life, Love calls you by name
It’s the little things, in life that get you, through the shame
Live for the moment, live for the day
Live everyday like Eternity has passed away
Live every moment by God’s command
Live like you have the faith of Abraham

It’s a hard mountain that you must climb to heal your spiritual hurt
But on the other side, Lord, You turn that mountain back into dirt
El Shaddai, God of the Mountains, God of the Seas
God of Our Fathers, God of Eternity
You will not forsake us though we forsake You
You will never leave us though we may leave You like we do

In the Garden, just You and I and no one else
The dark of night has a way, about exposing the True self
And in the moonlight, see the tears stream, across my face
The Cup is Yours, You took my place
Then You filled the empty space inside my heart
You’re always around, when I need to fall apart

Oh, and I’m so glad, You took me by the hand
And gave me the faith of Abraham
Sometimes, in a life, Love calls you by name
It’s the little things, in life that get you, through the shame
Live for the moment, live for the day
Live everyday like Eternity has passed away
Live every moment by God’s command
Live like you have the faith of Abraham

Yeah, I’m so glad, You took me by the hand
And gave me the faith of Abraham
Sometimes, in a life, Love calls you by name
It’s the little things, in life that get you, through the shame
Live for the moment, live for the day
Live everyday like Eternity has passed away
Live every moment by God’s command
Live like you have the faith of Abraham


©2006 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Also the three points of Dr. Queen's sermon today about the second Creation account were:

1. You can't always get what you want.



2. Sexuality shouldn't shame us as it is a gift from God.

3. Everyone needs a blessing---people need people to help them along the way.

In my next post, I'll list some good resources on Genesis for our study.

Back-Catalog

So my dad started physical therapy today and is now in a splint instead of a cast---so that is a step up from a week ago. Anyways, I spent time looking through some of my back-catalog of writings today---here are some interesting ones I found:

Here are some handwritten lyrics of mine back in 1999 when my handwriting was just beginning to deteriorate:



And here's the completed song lyrics typed out:

CHESS-PIECE ---about God being in control
(Currin)

If I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

You, who died for our sins
Died for me
And I can only be a Chess piece
God, I’ll go wherever You want me to go
For whenever You move me, I know
That I’m getting closer to Heaven

Closer than I’ve ever been before
And when I pass away
I know that You, Jesus will be by my side at the grave
All I’m living for is to be more
Like You
Who are the Absolute Truth
Which sets my spirit free
Listen closely and you’ll hear Him, He is calling you and me

And if I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

I am only a Chess piece made of dirt
And I know that You still feel the hurt
From the Cross, whenever we stray away
From You--showed us how to pray and now I’m running on Blind Faith
Sometimes people get so judgmental and sink like Peter
When all they really need to do is keep--

Their eyes on Your Wonderful Face and You
Are the Supreme Law and Judge of All the Land, the Absolute Truth
And when we do sink, I know that You
Always pick us right back up, forever, forever and ever

Well, the Cross is like a balance beam
And we go from one extreme
To the other
Some Christians drift from lover to lover
Some talk the talk, but never walk the walk
Others are too blind to see what it’s all about

When God is the only thing stable in a world that’s falling apart
Still we mess things up and keep on breaking Your Perfect Heart
Well, life isn’t easy
There are so many obstacles that get in the way
But as long as You move us where to go
We’ll always be able to defeat the foe

Jesus came to show us the Way
And how we should be
And I am just a Chess piece for You
To move, wherever You choose
Elohim, Adonai, Hashem
For the greater of men

So if I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

I am a Chess-Piece, Chess-Piece for God
And just for Him, I’ll go
Chess-Piece for God
He moves me where to go

© 1999 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 1999 GB Lyrics, C.O.

Here's are some Springsteenesque song lyrics for you:

U2's New Easter-ish Song

White As Snow is from U2's new and recent album, No Line On The Horizon---here is the story of the composition of the song from Wikipedia:

[edit] Composition

In an interview with The Guardian Bono revealed that he became tired of writing in the first-person, noting that "I'd just worn myself out as a subject matter"; as a result he created several characters, including a traffic cop, a junkie, and a soldier serving in Afghanistan.[4] The soldier's character appears in "White as Snow", which focuses on the soldier's last thoughts as he dies from the wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.[2] Bono came up with the idea after reading Pincher Martin, written by William Golding.[1]

"White as Snow" was recorded in one take during two weeks of recording sessions in Fez, Morocco in 2007, though it received some minor editing in the final sessions in December 2008.[5] At this time, it was taken out of the 'Maybe' pile to balance out the rockier tunes present earlier on, with Adam Clayton noting that "it gave the listener a break."[6] Original plans were for the track to start with an explosion, though this was later scrapped.[1] Richard Watkins played the French horn in the song.[7] The melody of the song is based on that of the traditional Advent hymn "Veni, veni Emmanuel".[2] Bono noted that, with the exception of "White as Snow", the band had tried to keep the theme of war out of the album.[8]

"White as Snow" appears as the fourth track in the Anton Corbijn film Linear, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Parisian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranian Sea to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli.[9]

And here are the full lyrics to the song hyperlinked by myself:

White As Snow
(U2)

Where I came from there were no hills at all
The land was flat, the highway straight and wide
My brother and I would drive for hours
Like we had years instead of days
Our faces as pale as the dirty snow

Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow

And the water, it was icy
As it washed over me
And the moon shone above me

Now this dry ground it bears no fruit at all
Only poppies laugh under the crescent moon
The road refuses strangers
The land the seeds we sow
Where might we find the lamb as white as snow

As boys we would go hunting in the woods
To sleep the night shooting out the stars
Now the wolves are every passing stranger
Every face we cannot know
If only a heart could be as white as snow
If only a heart could be as white as snow

See also: White As Snow: U2's most intimate song.

U2, John Lennon And Sunday Bloody Sunday

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."---John 14:27 (ESV).

First the main event which inspired these songs:

Bloody Sunday (Irish: Domhnach na Fola)[1] is the term used to describe an incident in Derry,[2] Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 27 civil rights protesters were shot by members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in the Bogside area of the city.[3] Thirteen people, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately, while the death of another person 4½ months later has been attributed to the injuries he received on the day. Two protesters were injured when they were run down by army vehicles.[4] Many witnesses, including bystanders and journalists, testify that all those shot were unarmed. Five of those wounded were shot in the back.[5]

Two investigations have been held by the British Government. The Widgery Tribunal, held in the immediate aftermath of the event, largely cleared the soldiers and British authorities of blame, but was criticised by many as a "whitewash"[6][7][8] including former chief of staff to Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell.[9] The Saville Inquiry, established in 1998 to look at the events again (chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate), is expected to report in late 2009.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) campaign to extend Irish rule to Northern Ireland had begun in the two years prior to Bloody Sunday, but perceptions of the day boosted the status of and recruitment into the organisation enormously.[10] Bloody Sunday remains among the most significant events in the Troubles of Northern Ireland, chiefly due to the fact that it was carried out by the army and not paramilitaries, and in full public and press view.[11]

Other Bloody Sundays.

Here is John Lennon's song based on Bloody Sunday 1972:


And here are the full lyrics:

Sunday Bloody Sunday
(John Lennon)

Well it was sunday
bloody sunday
When they shot the people there
The crys of thirteen marty martyrs
Filled the free derry air.
Is there any one among you
Dare to blame it on the kids?
Not a soldier boy was
bleeding

When they nailed the
coffin lidds!

Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!

You claim to be majority
Well you know that it's a lie
You're really a minority
Oh this sweet emerald asle.
When Stormont bans
our marchers

They've got a lot to learn
Internment is no answer
It's those mother's turn
to burn!

Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!

You anglo pigs and scotties
Sent to colonize the north
You wave your bloody
Union Jacks
And you know what it's worth!
How dare you hold on to ransom
A people proud and free
Keep ireland for the irish
Put the english back to sea!

Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!

Yes it's always bloody sunday
In the concentration camps
Keep Falls and roads free forever
From the bloody english hands

Repatriate to britain
All of you who call it home
Leave ireland to the irish
Not for London or for Rome!

Sunday bloody sunday
Bloody sunday's the day!

I must say I like the U2 version better and here is my favorite version of the U2 version:


And here's another good version of it:

And here are the full lyrics to U2's version:

Sunday Bloody Sunday
(U2)

I can't believe the news today,
I can't close my eyes and make it go away.
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long? Tonight we can be as one.

Broken bottles under children's feet,
Bodies strewn across a dead end street,
But I won't heed the battle call,
It puts my back up, puts my back up
against the wall.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

And the battle's just begun,
There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
The trenches dug within our hearts,
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn
apart.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long, Tonight we can be as one.
Tonight, tonight.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Wipe the tears from your eyes,
Wipe your tears away,
Wipe your blood shot eyes.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

And it's true we are immune.
When fact is fiction and T.V. is reality,
And today the millions cry,
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
The real battle just begun.
To claim the victory Jesus won,
On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
Sunday bloody Sunday.

So what's your favorite version?

THE BALLAD OF ROBERT EMMET AND SARAH CURRAN

THE BALLAD OF ROBERT EMMET AND SARAH CURRAN
(Currin)

------ “This is a song, about one of my ancestors. She died of a broken heart*…and I a-don’t wanna end up like her.”

Of sadness, I’ve known a lot
For the British, of my true love, they did rob
For fighting for the land of the Pale
And that true spirit of the green, green Gale
Now, there’s a dark shadow hanging, over my life
Twist of fate and roll of the dice
My love is hanging, on the gallows, today
My heart, now, is lying, in the grave

Of a slender and drooping form, I did possess
Great sorrow, in my life, I did profess
I guess that was just my lot, in life---that was just my curse
Was it just this aching fear or was it something worse?
Oh, what could it be, this sad reverie?
Oh, how could this be, this suffering me?
How I miss those letters that kept me going on
Now, I have nothing, but this ghost and bones

Of ill-fated love, this is just it
With everything a reminder and nothing to forget
Home is where the heart is, so that’s what they say
Well, now, my home is only a grave away
What secrets lie, in that lost sting?
Oh, what hope is hidden there, in that tossed ring?
What pains did withered down my delicate flower
Oh, how I wish my love’s fingers could tangle, in my golden crown of hair

Now, Marie, Marie, there’s a name that means a lot
Marie, can you carry me---are you willing to bear that kind of rod?
Cos I have something I know and it’s a little bit you, it’s a little bit me
It’s a little bit God, oh, and I know that it’s what sets us free
Burn down this wilderness---I’m standing, at your heart’s bar
Waiting for to fill that empty glass---fall into the stars

Well, my love, I have been fighting on
Working for the greater good, trying to expand the kingdom
Against false dominion, I’ve fought the game
And heroism sings out my name
But I wouldn’t be who I am without your tender ties
And charms, which keep me hanging on for dear life
Though idle reports, sometimes, get passed my way
And grave situations, they call me to my fate

For I’d rather give up my own life than injure yours
For you are delicate and virtuous as a million flowers
‘Tis your name by which I live by---to which was thrown to fire
Your injured happiness, I’m sorry for, for you are my heart’s true desire
The pistol did me in, when the soldiers of the heart marched in
But I know, your forgiveness will be mine, in the end
I was only a-thinkin’ of the locks of your hair pinned to my chest
Do not fear, Dear, for we’ll forever be of one breath

Our clandestine meetings are clouded by storms that betray
Treason, she’s a strong drink that kills faith and true fate
Oh, but suffering love deepens the release and meaning
When at last destiny calls you into the valley of cold winter’s dreaming
So come, my love, and sit, for we shall drink to time and be “Monks of the Screw”
For time is our enemy and we all are just shadows passing through
For when you need someone to sail, upon the sea of all your wounds
You can always turn to me, I'll be there, in the corner of your room

Now, Marie, Marie, there’s a name that’s almost like the Mother of God
Marie, can you tarry me---are you willing to bear that kind of cross?
Cos I have something I know and it’s a little bit you, it’s a little bit me
It’s a little bit God, oh, and I know that it’s what sets us free
Burn down this wilderness---I’m standing, at your heart’s bar
Waiting for to fill that empty glass---fall into the stars

Oh, unroll that sacred curtain, whenever you feel certain
Lets let love be our epitaph, in a world full of plight
Make it shatterproof, through connection of joys and hurtin’
When you’re ready to jump into that sea of a million little lights
Just tell me, Dear, and let me be your bard and drake
So that on an altar of heavenly clay, our two hearts can bake



©2006 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

*= "Washington Irving, one of America's greatest early writers, devoted a story (The Broken Heart) in his magnus opus The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon to the romance between Emmet and Sarah Curran, citing it as an example of how a broken heart can be fatal."

See also: John Philpot Curran and Thomas Moore who penned this poem about Sarah Curran:

She is Far from the Land

She is far from the land, where her young hero sleeps,
And lovers are round her, sighing;
But coldly she turns from their gaze, and weeps,
For her heart in his grave is lying!

She sings the wild song of her dear native plains,
Every note which he lov'd awaking
Ah! little they think, who delight in her strains,
How the heart of the Minstrel is breaking!

He had lov'd for his love, for his country he died,
They were all that to life had entwin'd him,
Nor soon shall the tears of his country be dried,
Nor long will his love stay behind him.

Oh! make her a grave, where the sun-beams rest,
When they promise a glorious morrow;
They'll shine o'er her sleep, like a smile from the West,
From her own lov'd Island of sorrow!

And here's a video of the folk-tune based on the poem:

The Edge's Hymn To The Irish Diaspora

Here is a folk song written by U2's The Edge on the Irish Diaspora to Van Diemen's Land :


And here are the full lyrics:

Van Diemen's Land
(The Edge)

Hold me now, oh hold me now
'til this hour has gone around
And I'm gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land

It's a bitter pill I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice and not for gain
But the magistrate sent me away

Now kings will rule and th poor will toil
And tear their hands as they tear the soil
But a day will come in this dawning age
When an honest man sees an honest wage

Hold me now, oh hold me now
'til this hour has gone around
And I'm gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land

TALKIN' SPORTS-LINE

On the day after the Super Bowl, one of the most overrated hyped up events on TV---what better thing to post but a Bob Dylan/Woody Guthrie type song I wrote about sports idolatry---not that sports in and of itself is bad but anyways:

TALKIN' SPORTS-LINE
(Currin)

Oh I heard the other day, there's a new American religion rolling into town
You can catch the sacred show on your television sports network, every Monday night
Doesn't matter if you're on East Coast, West Coast or Mountain time
It never fails to be painted across t. v. screens, all around
You can tune in anytime you like; but make sure your screen is the largest size
For better viewing of that new time religion known as the show Sports-line
Wouldn't wanna miss a single second or you might miss a world record touchdown

Well, they're tearing all the crosses down and replacing them with sports equipment instead
And they are selling beer and millions of hot dogs for wine and bread
'Tis the last feast of the King of all Kings, you know
Take drink and eat for to remind yourself of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
That are otherwise known as Babe Ruth, Chipper Jones and Michael Jordan
Or maybe it was Hank Aaron, Sammy Sosa, and Dennis Rodman
Either way, you know that you'll find salvation, in your local sports show

Well, your churches are getting empty and your stadiums are getting filled
I'm sure on Judgment Day; the Lord of all Hosts will be thrilled
About the latest batting average or the latest record for most field goals
And I'm a-sure as lead that your touchdowns and punch-outs will save your soul
As long as you are a-going for the fastest racing record time
Everything for your sports stars in their sports cars will make you fine
For a home-run by your favorite team, surely 'tis God's will

Oh, and they're burning the church buildings down and replacing them with stadiums
For to build a place for your sports teams and to build up the new religion
The religion to end all religion, Sports-line really is
Because it's the only religion that to it's followers gives
Extra hard; and nobody cares about Jesus anymore
Because they are turning on the tube or running out to see some ole sport
For it's for these sports idols that Americans truly live

And a-everyone is chewing the fat off of the golden calf
Sacrificing to the one-eyed god on Monday night, every hour and a half
Because the Pope wore out his welcome, for his priests with children did mate
And your athletes are truly the real heroes of today
Well, I seen one golfer and he healed this one man who was blind
It was a true miracle of the sports god; and I seen one hockey player draw a sign
With the colorful words he spoke and it blessed the whole crowd as black eyes to them he did gave

Well, the thing about today is we need a good boxer to set the people free
And we need a political wrestler for the common man in the Law to believe
What a world we live in, where you can find sermons eating Wheaties, sitting on the couch
And well, you know Kelly Slater is the true messiah, he saved us with his wipeouts
And the sacred veil was torn when Tiger Woods made his first hole in one
You know, right then and right there, it spelled the completeness of everyone
And you know that O. J. Simpson was always innocent, sooner he did need to be released

Yes, and I heard the other day, there's a new American religion rolling into town
You can catch the sacred show on your television sports network, every Monday night
Doesn't matter if you're on East Coast, West Coast or Mountain time
It never fails to be painted across t. v. screens, all around
You can tune in anytime you like; but make sure your screen is the largest size
For better viewing of that new time religion known as the show Sports-line
Wouldn't wanna miss a single second or you might miss a world record touchdown

So everybody take it from me, if you want to be free, if you want to see the end
And if a-you want to see the gates of Heaven
Stay away from your church pews, turn on your t. v. and don’t miss your precious Sports-line
For 'tis every bit of heaven there, as long as you watch, because your stadiums are so divine
And a-your sports idols are the truth that will set the world free
The very word of the one-eyed god that will give you your place to be
You can even escape the gates of death by a soccer ball falling in the wind...

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY

Here's a Dylanesque Christmas song that I also wrote in 2005:

CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY
(Currin)

“This is a wedding song…this is a Halloween hymn…no, this is a Christmas carol…”


A ring is just a thing to get you through the pain that stings
And wedding bells that ring, around a boxing glove love---take off your mask and expose your wings
Now, it’s time for shelter…it’s time for Doves to feather, in full flight
Never faltering that Star that lights up the night and brightly the sky bedights
Tangling, upon the ‘scape and horizon, on some Eastern desert sand
The waiting Madonna and the Carpenter, surround the sound of a pre-nuptial band
It’s time to incarnate the Word that saves the world from sin-sick lullabies
Oh, Christmas Rhapsody and ecstasy of Easter wings that never taste the poison that makes you die

It’s time for the morning-after and to swallow that little pill of predestined free will
And to look upon the newborn Babe, whose stare and lightning eyes could kill
It’s time to crucify the flesh, until the false humanity is finally choked off
When you nail your sins of pious vanity and pride, upon a blood-stained Cross
Now, I’m just a poor boy looking for a manger and a pillow to rest my head on
I need someone to take me off of the streets to a Nativity scene and take me home
Oh, joyous Rapture, when Easter wings touch…connect…for innocence to protect
And that Christmas Rhapsody of long ago, which reduced worldly things to their proper dusty specks

While flecking flakes of pure gold to rain down, upon the naked human soul
With the blush of the Rose that exposes it all and unravels dignity to shreds---unrolled
And humble down the Winter willows, which creep and crawl, while you stall
With your grave face, against a wailing wall, inside the confines of some prayer hall
Some they calk their holes full of fool’s gold, but we calked Your holes full of solid lead
When the ceiling was pealing, resealing and dealing the wounds that blow red
And stain those Easter wings, which offer up their hollow cups and empty plates for the feast of kings
And queens, on the table spread and sing the ole time Christmas Rhapsody, where church bells ring

Out the turning tides and burn bridges of the past left lingering, on the wind
Go fast and flash the differences, which change you inside, when you begin again
Become like a little Christ, which lights the Tree, in the Garden of Epiphany
Where you can drink a mixed Double-Shot of Truth, until you gain the eyes to see what you don’t see
God is hidden, among the clouds---revealed, in times, between the lines of crowds
Never, in the shadows, but through a glass darkly seen and heard, if you don’t talk so loud
Silence is a prayer, upon Easter wings, even in a mission field with all the tracks that you lay
People can still hear that Christmas Rhapsody written, on every turn of the heart’s stage or page

The whole of humanity is stained by such a ravenous frame and they’re the ones to blame
For playing games with the One, who came to take away their sense of shame---you get lame
Thinking too long, upon that little thorn that twists you up inside---you gotta pull the plank from your eyes
Stop fostering false humanity, let it fall down to the ground---rise up to the skies, you become wise
Put together patterned pieces of puzzled fates, faith’s intangible evidence, which shapes
The conscience and strips it down to the heart of it all---unties the laces and puts you, in your place
When Easter wings crumble like towers, upon the sea of a Higher Reality
Get caught and spent, tangled in that all encompassing net of Christmas Rhapsody

The Old order has been turned into a shadow of the New, which has already come
You’ve seen it’s face, you’ve felt it’s blows, if you’ve stared too long into the wings of the Sun
You’ve burnt your eyes out, on life decaying by the blade of a dangling double-edged sword
Defeated and beaten into ploughshares hidden, behind a Rock, in the field of a Holy Word
Called from the world not out of it---though sometimes, you must hide, in the wings of a Sacred thing
Which redeems everything, when it flings off worldly armor with skill and a numbing sting
To that defecated clay, which sometimes holds down your Easter wings from their career of flight
And it’s that Christmas Rhapsody, which was born this midnight, tonight, on a long ago night

It’s time for ships to come sailin’ in, in the morning for safe harbor, in some mooring
When it’s winter storming, pouring snow and covering everything and showing
All those little bright white lies of your past, coming down, upon you fast, when tied
Sparkle there, in the clouds, in the stars, in the sky, where your halo lies---you pick up the tides
Put another sail, on your mast---set sail, across the world---seeking there to find
The answers to the questions that always plague your mind---get infected by a Spirit that always shines
And topple over orders that try to hold down Easter wings into a pin hole void and cell
Well, just look at that Christmas Rhapsody cut through all the borders---the Lord with us to dwell

There are stripes, which heal and give life meaning and like a flag all hold onto it, when life gets old
We all seek to fade into that cold warm Winter’s Light, the jailhouse of another soul---never seeking parole
From those streets of gold, which we all reach for, when everything, in life, starts to get quiet
Pretty soon everyone will join in the riot for brotherly love to apply it for everyone to try it
While waiting on Peace to come that’s already here inside, where True Peace can’t die and
You’ve carved out your decorations and strung that Light, across your soul---come out of hiding
You’ve seen your Christmas tree become a Cross to take away everyone’s loss of True Humanity
And it’s those Easter wings, which give that Christmas Rhapsody it’s meaning and sets the world free…






©2005 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

CHRISTMAS SONG FOR LINDA

Here's a Christmas song I wrote in 2005 for Linda who runs the soup kitchen I volunteer at:

CHRISTMAS SONG FOR LINDA
(Currin)

The first Christmas surprise was a dirty diaper
I said the first Christmas surprise was a dirty diaper
Sometimes, you wonder how Mary felt, when she heard God cry just like her
It just goes to show how God is humble like that
To put up with all of that, all of our humanly crap
Well, we’re all just dirty diapers and even worse

But Linda, she’s as humble as humble can be
I said Linda, she’s as humble as humble can be
At the homeless shelter, she brings me my cup of tea
When the wind crackles too much and rattles my cage
And the leaves turn brown, fade and fall just like the turn of a page
Being thrown and stripped, dipped into a sea of spice, peppermint and honey

Some-days, I feel unconscious, buried, beneath the grave of all my beliefs
I said some-days, I feel unconscious, buried, beneath the grave of all my beliefs
That’s when Linda, she picks me up, pulls me off of the streets
I was just a weary-eyed wanderer, before Linda sheltered me, in her wings
Now, I’m digging down to the scratch of my relief and the wounds that heal and clean
Well, you can pick a flower and sing a song of mercy for all of your grief

Oh, the face of Jesus, it shines there, upon Linda’s rings
I said, oh, the face of Jesus, it shines there, upon Linda’s rings
A sparkling, in the diamonds of her eyes of things that have been redeemed
The sun, he shines, if just to ease your mind and echo the wind flying with a sigh
When the Winter snow comes calling, falling like shadows of you and I
This here is just a Christmas song for Linda, because she asked me to write her something





©2005 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Bruce Springsteen And Songs Of Hope And Redemption

First things first if you didn't see the Larry Norman videos in this post:TheoPoetic Musings: It's Time: Week 9---Hope---here they are:

Larry Norman - 1985 - Medley---Letter to the Church, Come Away, If the Bombs Fall


Larry Norman - 1980 - Why Can't You be Good & Pardon Me

Anyways, here are 4 other Bruce Springsteen songs, which are full of hope, lost hope and redemption: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Badlands and The River. Here are the videos with relevant sections of the lyrics:


Here is a good section:

...Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

Here is a relevant section of the lyrics:

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
girl I want to know if love is real

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the best section:

...Workin' in the fields
till you get your back burned
Workin' 'neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts
learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling
Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got
Well I believe in the love that you gave me

I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
We'll keep pushin' till it's understood
and these badlands start treating us good

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the section to watch out for:

...
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight...

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

I'll let you draw your own conclusions this time around.

It's Time: Week 9---Hope

So this Sunday was the end of our church-wide series, It's Time and our last lesson was on hope, which I think is appropriate for these troubling times. In Sunday School, we discussed how hope has changed for us from when we were children till now. First, while we're on the subject of hope, I just want to say that I hope to start writing poetry and lyrics again next year as this year has been a dry period for me. You'd think with all that's been going on this year, I could find plenty of inspiration, but no such luck. Anyway, I've mainly been writing theological articles this year, but here is the only thing poetical/lyrical I've written all year: It's Larry Norman influenced:
SONG FOR MARY-KATE
(Currin)

Baby, you look so lonely
I’ve seen you in all those magazines
You’ve been living for fashion
Traveling all those party scenes
But you look so empty…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Now, you once were in Vegas
You played a Full House in your deck
And you once were one of Degas’ dancers
So graceful in your dress and steps
But now you look such a wreck…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Well, Baby…what are you doing
Doing with yourself
You can’t keep running back to the same ole things
With your heart upon the shelf
Baby, you really need to change

Because Baby, you look so lonely
I’ve seen you in all those magazines
You’ve been living for fashion
Traveling all those party scenes
But you look so empty…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Yes, I said: “I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss


©2008 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Also, I'd like to direct you readers to my cyber friend, Bruce Reyes-Chow's excellent Podcast from January of this year on the subject of hope---specifically about hope within the PCUSA as he is the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but the Podcast ties in well with our lesson. Here is the description of Bruce's Podcast off his Podcast Blog: "Hope---Bruce talks a bit about Hope plus the Song by David LaMotte." Oh by the way, thanks for stopping by this post: TheoPoetic Musings: It's Time: Weeks 5 And 6, Bruce!

From one Bruce to another---here's a Bruce Springsteen song that gets to the heart of our discussion in Sunday School and speaks to these times of economic difficulties: Here are the full lyrics with my commentary on the relevant parts:

The Promised Land
(Bruce Springsteen)

On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I'm just killing time
Working all day in my daddy's garage
Driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon little girl I'm gonna take charge

CHORUS
The dogs on Main Street howl
'cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land (The chorus particularly speaks to hope in the midst of desperate times.)

I've done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start (Here the call to a new start is the key to putting hope in action.)

CHORUS

There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain't got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted (Here the hopeful action takes place.)

CHORUS
I believe in a promised land... (The refrain ties the narrator to the Ancient Israelites and their search for the Promise Land though sometimes our own "Promise Lands" are right before our eyes but we wander blindly and aimlessly pass them.)

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Speaking of the Promise Land, here's a song by Rich Mullins (one of the most prolific songwriters to come out of the Contempory Christian Music/Jesus Movement, in my humble opinion) off his last album, The Jesus Record which captures the hope the Ancient Israelites had:


The original version on Disc One: The Jesus Demos is better, but I couldn't find a video for that. Here are the full lyrics to the above song:

My Deliverer

(Rich Mullins and Mitch McVicker)

Exodus 2:23, Exodus 3:8, Second Samuel 22:1-7
Psalm 40:16-17, Psalm 70, Isaiah 53:5
Matthew 2:13-21, Luke 4:18-19, Revelation 6:13

Joseph took his wife and her child and they went to Africa
To escape the rage of a deadly king
There along the banks of the Nile, Jesus listened to the song
That the captive children used to sing
They were singin'

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

Through a dry and thirsty land, water from the Kenyon heights
Pours itself out of Lake Sangra's broken heart
There in the Sahara winds Jesus heard the whole world cry
For the healing that would flow from His own scars
The world was singing

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise - He has written it upon the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
I will never doubt His promise though I doubt my heart, I doubt my eyes
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise though the stars should break faith with the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming

The Jesus Record is a great album so if you don't have a copy---get one. Anyways, hope was a great theme to end our series with as we are approaching Advent season.

Songs For Jim Everette

Jim asked me to critique his sermon from the Sunday before last and go easy on him, but since it's no longer fresh on my mind---here is something else instead:

Here are some song lyrics which somewhat relate to Jim's sermon:

JIM EVERETTE’S BLUES
(Currin)

Oh, I woke up, one day, I-s a-feelin’ sad and blue
Neighbors had so many cats, I didn’t know whut to do
Jumped into da car…..took a drive……it wus a weddin’ day
Hit one of dem cats and drove away
Wusn’t worried…….I didn’t kill it…..
It wus only stuned!

Well, now, I remember Divinity School well
They taught me, about Heaven, they taught me, about Hell
Schleiermacher, Paul Tillich, Karl Barth…….crazy kids’ stuff!
When they started talkin’ Greek, I-s thought that wus tough
So I took off……. Down da road!
Watch out, now, here I come!

One day, I packed da wife-n-kids into my pick-up truck
Got lost, in a football parking lot…couldn’t find no luck
Thought it take a long time for my wife to cool down
Well, now, you shoulda seen me a-floatin’ round
I-s in a mess……..I-s in a jam
Didn’t bother me none…..though!

Now, my son, he’s a funny sort
He holds hot dog eatin’ contests and thinks it’s a sport
My daughter, now, she’s boy crazy alla da time
She’s enough to a-worry my mind
If I catch her with a boy
I might hafta get out my 9’ iron!

So if ya ever a-feel like me, about cats
You shoulda been, where I’s standin’ at
Don’t jump in a car, on a weddin’ day
If you do, you’ll be a-messin’ with fate
Catch heck to pay…..ain’t pretty stuff….
It’s a-crazy!

©2005 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO --Dr. Everette talked about problems with his dog this go round.

Here are some song lyrics I wrote based on another one of Jim's past sermons:

FINAL WORDS (FOR JIM EVERETTE)
(Currin)

Well, I’m thinking, about that one sad goodbye
Oh, you know, sometimes, goodbyes are just hellos, in disguise
So step lightly, now, into a New Life and keep with that Light
Though sometimes, it’s still hard to make it by
There’s so much you gotta know---gonna take a push to get you going
Well, everyone has a road to go on, wherever the Wind is blowing

Well, I remember driving down that ole lonesome highway
In my T-Bird with nothing, but my thoughts and a lonesome day
From Chapel Hill all the way back to the concrete jungle of Fayettenam
And, in between, all those Holy Fields and all that desert sand
Well, sometimes, the more you learn---the less you really know
That’s alright keep on going down the road, wherever the Wind may blow

“My wife,” said McGore, “she’s finished---go ahead and cut the line”
Sad price that you have to pay to ease suffering and have peace of mind
Well, how her face resembles God, but you got to do what you’ve got to do
To keep on and survive and now, she’s like scattered pollen blowing through
She’ll still be, in my mind, you know---keep on, where that Spirit is going
Down that ole lonesome road, where that Wind keeps on blowing

Picasso sitting, around, drinking wine to past the last hours of his time
“God what a stunning painting,” he said as he reached the end of the line
When that curtain rolled open and he saw, where he was standing at
Well, sometimes, the Truth of those brushstrokes capture just the beauty of the facts
So you keep painting what you learn---so then the more that you can know
As you keep on going down the road, wherever the Wind may blow

Jesus walking down that lonesome valley without a disciple, in sight
Jesus walking down that ole dirt road---fill the world with Light
Look out, they’re coming, now, to kill Him and strike Him down
So they strung Him up there, on that skull-shaped hill---so that life, now, abounds
Well, all I know is that that final fatal parting shot
In the end, became something more than just a Cross

Rise up, rise up, now, for goodbye is not goodbye
But hello, in the end, to a New Life
Said rise up, rise up, now, for goodbye is not goodbye



©2006 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Together We Can Make A Difference: Song Lyrics About Poverty

Continuing from my previous post: TheoPoetic Musings: Blog Action Day 2008 : Increasing Poverty Awareness---here are some of my song lyrics on the issue of poverty---

Here are some Bob Dylan influenced lyrics:

THE LOST, THE HUNGRY AND THE DYING
(Currin)

Gather round me, listen to a story I’ve to tell
It’s a story that you should already know so well
There’re hypocrites seeping into our fair churches and steeples
And they’re tearing our churches apart and splitting up our fair peoples
And taking them down to the valley of shame
Where the leaders in charge forget their names
But there is nothing to blame
But the ulterior motives of a higher power’s game
Which comes down to these cultic death-like conventions setup to cause them pain

Now, there’s people dying everywhere as sure as those churches’ sidewalks are paved
But the heads in those churches don’t care a bit
They don’t give a flip, they don’t wanna do anything about it
Because all they care about is whether the lost are saved
While those poor countries are dying of hunger pains
Getting killed in the pouring down acid rain
In the raging hypocritical religious diseases coming on just like a hurricane
The winds of the powers that be are blowing fast like a freight train
Stamping numbers on the dying souls and leaving them without a name
They just won’t to forget those who aren’t saved, for they are just a universal drain

There’s a war going on and it’s hidden underneath the robes of your preachers and priests
Stealing money to go save the lost and dying, who just want something to eat first
But your priests, they just want to save them and leave them to be cursed
Now’s not the time for political missionaries to leave hungered folks in the tides that be
While the priests sit on golden thrones with plenty of food to eat and fill up their brains
With trash by not practicing what they preach and not having any shame
And getting caught up in these conventional political games
To leave the lost without a name, and from their unholy crusades earn all that they can gain
Those who philosophize disgrace and politicize grace are the only ones to blame

And those who wield the arrows of gossip’s sudden dust are the ones that cause the fall of man
While putting the unbelievers down for believing in all that they really can
And leaving them starving and naked, left to the wind of deceitful blazes
Of these conventions that turn their hateful gazes
Onto the ones who really know the Truth of the world and everything in life
But the religious leaders, they are just the ones that criticize with their knifes
And cause those who are really seeking to lose their life and die
And get stuck in the label of being misunderstood and the ones that hold the lies
Because to our church leaders, they aren’t worth anything in their eyes

And the ones whom think that they have God on their side are the only ones that misunderstand
They disrespect other cultures and the people they are trying to save by telling them that they are damned
For not believing in the Pope, the political church leaders and the law and order
For they think anyone who doesn’t is a savage, so they run them out of their own borders
While filling the people they have in their control heads full of lies
And telling them to go out and murder in the name of religion and claim their prize
And to not give the hungry and the dying food, unless they except their own way of life
You know that’s just what the ancient people did when they crucified Jesus Christ
It’s because that He didn’t change to their way of life that He died
But it’s not up to you or me, you know it’s up to them to decide

But the leaders hiding behind the Cross are the ones that wanna force a decision on the dying
By lying to them and scaring them even more into hiding
It was those who brainwashed souls that killed the Jews, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi
Too, and many others besides them, for being just whom they were called to be
While breeding more religiously hateful tools to plant more lies
To take away food from those who need it, to blow them right between the eyes
They are only pawns in the hands of the greedy power mad devils in disguise
Who are taking over our churches and brainwashing the innocent lives
Into believing all that they say and never giving them a chance to decide
They just tell them to not feed those lost souls and just to let them die

Yes, and there is nothing to blame
But the ulterior motives of a higher power’s game
Which comes down to these cultic death-like conventions setup to cause them pain
Now, is not the time for rejoicing and arguments, which cause men to fall
And now, is not the time for deciding whom is lost enough to save, now
And now, is not the time to go pushing religion on people and all and all
Now, is just the time for tears to stop the war from going on any further down the line
And now, is the time to wake up any eyes that are still left blind
And now, is just the right time to stop all this bullshit going on all around, right now
So stop all the bullshit, already, right now.............

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

And here are some Bruce Springsteen influenced lyrics:

THESE EMPTY STREETS
(Currin)

These streets are empty
Everybody is down at the factory
And so am I
We hear them lonesome bells
Gonna keep on working, till the day we die

Down at the factory-we’re making dogs of war
We’re crafting tools of destruction, we’re raising steel
We’ve got to beat that steel down, we got to keep on ringing that drill
Down at the factory, we keep on going for 12 hours or more
In this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s the gates of hell

Forming scrap metal can be quite hard, but for soldiers we must provide
We want them to kill more people, so that we can stay alive
And with that smoke that comes out that smokestack, another dream has died
Been doing this kind of work for about ten years or more
Yes, and it’s true this factory, during a time of war

Always keeps these streets empty
And those trains we forever ride down to the factory
We’re selling our hearts and souls, because we’re Union men
As we hear them same ole lonesome bells
We ease ourselves back into our familiar stations

On the floor, we have the look of death in our eyes
Gotta keep on working till we retire or die
Whichever comes first, any way
We know that if we die, the only place we’ll go is to hell
In that factory of the great beyond for blasting a hundred men away

And another hundred more straight back to their Maker in the sky
Now, I use to have a girl that I’d keep right by my side
But she left me here with a little boy and a Union card
Now, that little boy and I, we just sit here working the factory drill hard
Yeah, we’re working off debts, cos everything fell apart in this factory cell

And these streets keep on staying empty
Cos everybody is down at the factory
And so am I
We hear them lonesome bells
Gonna keep on working, till the day we die

Gotta work that drill, gotta beat that steel down
We gotta lay down the line, cos everything we have the Union owns
We ain’t got no possessions, we ain’t got no home
Unless it belongs to the company and we’re sailing around
Main Street, you know we are bound to wind up dead quicker than the rest

We’re breathing smoke, we’re breathing steel fumes, can’t get no clean breath
And the rags we wear, we clench in our hands, but they get ground up in the dirt
Our guts they are raging with the dust on our backs and the fire of company hurt
The economy, well it carves it’s valleys into our minds as we burn through the day
Through the night as we keep on working to light this country’s way

Through the war--always keeps these streets empty
And those trains we forever ride down to the factory
We’re selling our hearts and souls, because we’re Union men
As we hear them same ole lonesome bells
We ease ourselves back into our familiar stations

And down at the factory-we keep on making them dogs of war
And we’re crafting tools of destruction, we’re raising steel
We’ve got to beat that steel down, we got to keep on ringing that drill
Down at the factory, we keep on going for 12 hours or more
In this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s the gates of hell
Yeah, in this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s just the gates of hell
Cos us, poor folks, keep on working as we die out little by little, piece by piece
And leave behind us the dogs of war and these empty streets

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

Some other things to mention:





Bono And Poverty Relief:

THE 2008 CAMPAIGN; Bono's Poverty-Fighting Plan Promoted by Two Ex-Senators
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: June 12, 2007

Two former Senate leaders who were once fierce adversaries, Bill Frist and Tom Daschle, joined together Monday to promote a bipartisan effort to make global poverty a central issue of the 2008 presidential race.

The antipoverty drive, called the One Campaign, which was founded by the rock star Bono to combat hunger and draw attention to the plight of children in African countries, is pledging to invest $30 million to persuade presidential candidates to address the issue.

''It is in the strategic and national interest of the United States of America,'' said Mr. Frist, a Republican and former Senate majority leader from Tennessee. ''People do not go to war with people who save their children's lives.''

Both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will be asked to sign a pledge in the fall saying they will offer proposals to fight H.I.V./AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, improve children's health in other ways, increase access to education, provide access to clean water and reduce by half the number of people who suffer from hunger.

''Through the extraordinary challenge we now have, it is incumbent upon all of us to recognize that this must be a key part of American foreign policy,'' said Mr. Daschle, a Democrat and former Senate majority leader from South Dakota.

Mr. Frist and Mr. Daschle, co-chairmen of the One Vote '08 effort, began the lobbying campaign Monday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church here on Capitol Hill, with supporters joining by satellite from Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

While dozens of interest groups have formed coalitions to influence presidential candidates, the One Campaign stands apart because of its bipartisan leadership and a $22 million investment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will be invested in mobilizing supporters across the country.

The Republican and Democratic National Committees endorsed the effort Monday, saying presidential contenders should include proposals to combat global poverty in their campaign agendas. Organizers have hired experienced political strategists to work on the One Campaign, educating and urging voters to hold presidential candidates accountable.

''It is an idea where global poverty and disease transcend partisan politics,'' said Susan McCue, the president of the One Campaign.

Together we can make a difference and help eliminate poverty.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

LAZARUS AS A BIBLICAL AND NON-BIBLICAL MOTIF: Lazarus's Effect On Culture Part 5---Oral Presentation

Presentation (Outline Interspersed With Source Selections)
I) Bible References
II) Literary References
III) Art References
IV) Musical References
Some odds in ends not in the paper:

CHESS-PIECE ---about God being in control
(Currin)

If I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

You, who died for our sins
Died for me
And I can only be a Chess piece
God, I’ll go wherever You want me to go
For whenever You move me, I know
That I’m getting closer to Heaven

Closer than I’ve ever been before
And when I pass away
I know that You, Jesus will be by my side at the grave
All I’m living for is to be more
Like You
Who is the Absolute Truth
Which sets my spirit free
Listen closely and you’ll hear Him, He is calling you and me

And if I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

I am only a Chess piece made of dirt
And I know that You still feel the hurt
From the Cross, whenever we stray away
From You--showed us how to pray and now I’m running on Blind Faith
Sometimes people get so judgmental and sink like Peter
When all they really need to do is keep--

Their eyes on Your Wonderful Face and You
Are the Supreme Law and Judge of All the Land, the Absolute Truth
And when we do sink, I know that You
Always pick us right back up, forever, forever and ever

Well, the Cross is like a balance beam
And we go from one extreme
To the other
Some Christians drift from lover to lover
Some talk the talk, but never walk the walk
Others are too blind to see what it’s all about

When God is the only thing stable in a world that’s falling apart
Still we mess things up and keep on breaking Your Perfect Heart
Well, life isn’t easy
There are so many obstacles that get in the way
But as long as You move us where to go
We’ll always be able to defeat the foe

Jesus came to show us the Way
And how we should be
And I am just a Chess piece for You
To move, wherever You choose
Elohim, Adonai, Hashem
For the greater of men

So if I were a Chess piece
I would be a pawn in Your game
Speaking all my words in Your Name
Worthless in the eyes of many
Valuable in the eyes of You, worthless in the eyes of many

Unworthy to get down on my hands and knees
But only able to wallow in the mud
Go all the way down
To the cold, cold ground
Because I’ve been washed by Your Blood
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb
I’ve been washed by the Blood of the Son of Man

I am a Chess-Piece, Chess-Piece for God
And just for Him, I’ll go
Chess-Piece for God
He moves me where to go

© 1999 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 1999 GB Lyrics, C.O.

ELECTRIC GHOST-LAND
(Currin)

My love is like the grave, I want to enter in
And rise above it, when we begin a-new
So my love, let me die in you, tonight, in your eyes of blue
So that I may become alive, once again
Let me in your temple to taste the wine
For it’s there that I’ve been seeking for to find

Eyes like rain and lips like smoke
In you lies my only hope
Building up and destroying time
Is the only way to make up your mind
In this electric ghost land, where we wander and fall

My colors have all gone gray from trying to find my way
The more you push me away, the harder I’ll try
To reach you with my intimate prayer inside
For you can kick the darkness outta the night, until it bleeds like the day
In this electric ghost land, where we wander and fall

It’s a little too much for me, a simple touch helps me to feel
For in your eyes like wine, I have found what is real
There the Truth and the Light shine
In the colors of your mind like a sacred sunshine
In this electric ghost land, where we wander and fall

My love is like the grave, I want to enter in
And rise above it, when we begin a new life
So my love, let me die in you, in your arms, tonight
So that I may become alive, once again
Let me in your temple to taste the wine
For it’s there that I’ve been seeking for to find

In you, I’ve found my salvation, my celebration
My benediction, my conviction, my holiday
My first aid, my secret dreams, my convocation
For in you all my fears and pains are taken away
In this electric ghost land, where we stumble and fall

In you, I’ve found the shelter over my head
The comforter for my bed, my broken piece of bread
In you, there’s a communion of faith that tears away all doubt
In you, I’ve found my exit, my only way out
In this electric ghost land, where we stumble and fall

In you, my candle can be set a-glow through an icy winter rain, through snow
Selfless deliverer, fill up my flask with your soul’s wine
Self-full giver, I’m standing at your bars, save me from dying
For you are the only one that I really want to know
In this electric ghost land, where we stumble and fall

My love is like the grave, yeah, my love is like the grave, I want to enter in
And rise above it, rise above it, when we begin once more
So my love, let me die in you, die in you, tonight, it’s all I’m living for
(To be tied down to you, so that I may be truly free)
So that I may become alive, become alive, once again
(And so that we can become what we were made to be)
Let me in your temple to taste the wine, your sweetly divine wine
For it’s there that I’ve been seeking for to find, seeking for to find..............

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

Oh Sister



Words and music Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy
Released on Desire (1976) Hard Rain (1976) and Budokan (1978)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

The Hard Rain version is basically the same as the album version. The Budokan version is
sung over a sustained Gm.

G Bm C (/b Am) G
Oh, sister, when I come to lie in your arms
G Em C G
You should not treat me like a stranger.
G Bm C (/b Am) G
Our Father would not like the way that you act
G Em C G
And you must realize the danger.

Oh, sister, am I not a brother to you
And one deserving of affection?
And is our purpose not the same on this earth,
To love and follow His direction?

F C
We grew up together
G
From the cradle to the grave
F C
We died and were reborn
G D (/c-b-a)
And then mysteriously saved.

Oh, sister, when I come to knock on your door,
Don't turn away, you'll create sorrow.
Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore
You may not see me tomorrow.

My Death
(Jacques Brel. Translation: Mort Schuman/Eric Blau)





My death waits like an old Drouet
So confident I'll go his way
Whistle to him and the passing time
My death waits like a Bible truth
At the funeral of my youth
We drank for that and the passing time
My death waits like a witch at night
As surely as our love is bright
Let's not think about the passing time

CHORUS:
But whatever lies behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil, I don't care
For in front of that door, there is you

My death waits like a beggar blind
Who sees the world through an unlit mind
Throw him a dime for the passing time
My death waits there between your thighs
Your cool fingers will close my eyes
Let's not think of that and the passing time
My death waits to allow my friends
A few good times before it ends
So let's drink to that and the passing time

CHORUS

My death waits there among the leaves
In magician's mysterious sleeves
Rabbits and dogs and the passing time
My death waits there among the flowers
Where the blackest shadow, blackest shadow cowers
Let's pick lilacs for the passing time
My death waits there in a double bed
Sails of oblivion at my head
So pull up the sheets against the passing time

CHORUS


"Lazarus Heart"
(Sting)




He looked beneath his shirt today
There was a wound in his flesh so deep and wide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside
He turned around to face his mother
To show her the wound in his breast that burned like a brand
But the sword that cut him open
Was the sword in his mother's hand

Every day another miracle
Only death will tear us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I'd be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

Though the sword was his protection
The wound itself would give him power
The power to remake himself at the time of his darkest hour
She said the wound would give him courage and pain
The kind of pain that you can't hide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside

Every day another miracle
Only death will keep us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I'd be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

Birds on the roof of my mother's house
I've no stones that chase them away
Birds on the roof of my mother's house
Will sit on my roof some day
They fly at the window, they fly at the door
Where does she get the strength to fight them anymore
She counts all her children as a shield against the pain
Lifts her eyes to the sky like a flower in the rain

Every day another miracle
Only death will keep us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I'd be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

In My Time Of Dyin'

sung by Bob Dylan on the self-titled album (1961) Written by ?

The song is basically just a finger-picking/bottleneck exercise over a sustained chord in open
D/E tuning. It's all in the singing... :-)

Capo 4th fret
Basic chord 000300





Well, in my time of dying don't want nobody to mourn
All I want for you to do is take my body home
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

Well, meet me Jesus, meet me, meet me in the middle of the air
If these wings should fail to me,
Lord, won't you meet me with another pair?
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

Lord, in my time of dying don't want nobody to cry
All I want you to do is take me when I die
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

In the Garden

Words and Music by Bob Dylan
Released on Saved (1980)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

G+ (=Gaug) = 321003 or 355443





B F# G#m G+
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?
Cm G+ Eb F
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?
G C/G G7 C/G
Did they know He was the Son of God, did they know that He was Lord?
G C/G G7 C/G
Did they hear when He told Peter, "Peter, put up your sword"?
A D/A A7 D/A
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?
B E/B B7 E/B
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?

F# B/F# F#

When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?
Nicodemus came at night so he wouldn't be seen by men
Saying, "Master, tell me why a man must be born again."
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?

When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?
When He said, "Pick up your bed and walk, why must you criticize?
Same thing My Father do, I can do likewise."
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?

Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?
The multitude wanted to make Him king, put a crown upon His head
Why did He slip away to a quiet place instead?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
He said, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Did they know right then and there what that power was worth?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
He said, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Did they know right then and there what that power was worth?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

Dead Man, Dead Man

Words and music Bob Dylan
Released on Shot of Love (1981)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

A true two-chord song! One of his many reggae-influenced songs from this period. The Am
could/should be livened up with flourishes in the G-direction, underlining the reggae rhythm -
something like:

: . . . :
|-----0-0-----0---|----
|-----1-1-----1---|----
|-----2-2-----2---|----
|-----2-2-----2---|----
|-----0-0-----0---|----
|---------3-------|----

or even better with Am played 577555, when you'll get that high, ringing a on the first string.






Am
Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind,

Clinging to strange promises, dying on the vine,
E
Never bein' able to separate the good from the bad,
Am
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,

It's makin' me feel so sad.

Dead man, dead man,

When will you arise?
E
Cobwebs in your mind,
Am
Dust upon your eyes.

Satan got you by the heel, there's a bird's nest in your hair.
Do you have any faith at all? Do you have any love to share?
The way that you hold your head, cursin' God with every move,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
What are you tryin' to prove?

Dead man, dead man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

The glamour and the bright lights and the politics of sin,
The ghetto that you build for me is the one you end up in,
The race of the engine that overrules your heart,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Pretending that you're so smart.

Dead man, dead man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

What are you tryin' to overpower me with, the doctrine or the gun?
My back is already to the wall, where can I run?
The tuxedo that you're wearin', the flower in your lapel,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
You wanna take me down to hell.

Dead man, dead man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

New Year's Day
(Bono/U2)




Yeah...

All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

Under a blood red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspapers says, says
Say it's true it's true...
And we can break through
Though torn in two
We can be one

I...I will begin again
I...I will begin again

Oh...
Maybe the time is right
Oh...maybe tonight...

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

And so we're told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day

Surrender
(Bono/U2)





Oh, the city's alight
With lovers and lies
Bright blue eyes
Oh, the city is bright
It's brighter than day tonight

Surrender, Surrender
Surrender, Surrender

Sadie said she couldn't work out
What it was all about
And so she let go
Now Sadie's on the street
And the people she meets you know
She tried to be a good girl and a good wife
Raise a good family
Lead a good life
It's not good enough
She got herself up on the 48th floor
Gotta find out
Find out what she's living for

Surrender, Surrender
Surrender, Surrender

Tonight...

Oh, the city's afire
A passionate flame
It knows me by name
Oh, the city's desire
To take me for more and more
It's in the street, getting under my feet
It's in the air, it's everywhere
My love for you
It's in the things I do and say
If I wanna live I gotta
Die to myself someday

Papa sing my sing my sing my song
Papa sing my sing my sing my song...

Love Rescue Me
(Bono/Bob Dylan)




Love rescue me
Come forth and speak to me
Raise me up and don't let me fall
No man is my enemy
My own hands imprison me
Love rescue me

Many strangers have I met
On the road to my regret
Many lost who seek to find themselves in me
They ask me to reveal
The very thoughts they would conceal
Love rescue me

And the sun in the sky
Makes a shadow of you and I
Stretching out as the sun sinks in the sea
I'm here without a name
In the palace of my shame
Said, love rescue me

In the cold mirror of a glass
I see my reflection pass
See the dark shades of what I used to be
See the purple of her eyes
The scarlet of my lies
Love rescue me

Yea, though I walk
In the valley of shadow
Yea, I will fear no evil
I have cursed thy rod and staff
They no longer comfort me
Love rescue me

Sha la la...sha la la la
Sha la la la...ha la la...
Sha la la la...sha la la la
Sha la la la...sha la la
Sha la la la...sha la la la
Sha la la...
I said love, love rescue me

I said love
Climb up the mountains, said love
I said love, oh my love
On the hill of the son
I'm on the eve of a storm
And my word you must believe in
Oh, I said love, rescue me
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah...

Yeah I'm here without a name
In the palace of my shame
I said love rescue me

I've conquered my past
The future is here at last
I stand at the entrance
To a new world I can see
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me
Love rescue me

One
(Bono/U2)



Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
You say...

One love
One life
When it's one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's...

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One...

Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One...life

One

Wake Up Dead Man
(Bono/U2)



Jesus, Jesus help me
I'm alone in this world
And a fucked up world it is too
Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way it's all gonna be

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man

Jesus, I'm waiting here boss
I know you're looking out for us
But maybe your hands aren't free
Your father, He made the world in seven
He's in charge of heaven
Will you put in a word in for me

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man

Listen to your words they'll tell you what to do
Listen over the rhythm that's confusing you
Listen to the reed in the saxophone
Listen over the hum of the radio
Listen over sounds of blades in rotation
Listen through the traffic and circulation
Listen as hope and peace try to rhyme
Listen over marching bands playing out their time

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man

Jesus, were you just around the corner
Did You think to try and warn her
Or are you working on something new
If there's an order in all of this disorder
Is it like a tape recorder
Can we rewind it just once more

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man

Grace
(Bono/U2)



Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that
Changed the world

And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness
In everything

Grace
She's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk

She travels outside
Of karma, karma
She travels outside
Of karma

When she goes to work
You can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips
Between her fingertips

She carries a pearl
In perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings

Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace finds goodness
In everything